The best new monitor speakers of 2017

Let the cone wars begin

Shares

You’d think that monitor design would be pretty much set in stone by now, but manufacturers are still pushing the envelope and coming up with groundbreaking designs. More importantly, they’re making our speakers sound better than ever before.

Our shortlist of new monitors covered products at multiple price points, with some of the biggest names in the industry being represented. We asked you to browse it and vote for the best of 2017: it was a tough job, but you did it.

Hedd Audio Type 20

They say: The Hedd Type 20 is a fully-fledged 3-way-system stuffed into a sleek and small footprint cabinet. It gives you the best of both monitoring worlds: convenient dimensions to easily fit the speakers into compact recording, mastering, or sophisticated home studios and the complete skill set of a full-range midfield monitoring system."

Adam S2V

They say: "The S2V is a classic two-way nearfield monitor designed for use in small-to-medium-sized control rooms.

"The 7-inch bass driver, newly createdfrom the ground up for the S Series, covers frequencies ranging from 35 Hz to 3 kHz and delivers a powerful, distortion-free low-end with a wide dynamic range. The carefully refined S-ART tweeter, handbuilt as ever at the ADAM Audio factory in Berlin, works seamlessly in tandem with the newly developed HPS waveguide, creating absolutely precise imaging within a generously proportioned sweet spot."

Focal Shape 65

They say: "Shape 65 is the reference of the Shape line. Although it’s dedicated to nearfield monitoring, this monitor enables extraordinary monitoring quality, in the lowest to the highest frequencies. Simply a must, this monitor will express its full potential from a listening distance of three feet away (1 metre)."

Winner: KRK V6 S4

They say: "KRK Systems' V Series 6 nearfield studio monitors are specifically designed for audio production applications where accurate reproduction is critical. KRK worked with hundreds of pro engineers/producers/mixers to develop these groundbreaking monitors. Recording and broadcast studios as well as sound design and audio production houses will benefit from adding the V Series 4 as the go to monitor of choice."